I tested HP's take on the MacBook Pro - and the HP ZBook X G1i is a surprisingly impressive mobile workstation for professionals and creators

HP has a longstanding history of making powerful portable workstations packed with superb performance, solid battery life, and robust port offerings.

The ZBook X G1i is not only a continuation of that tradition, but it's also touted as the most mobile ZBook ever, still with high performance and a great battery.

It's a bold claim, and HP has successfully pulled it off. As an all-rounder, it's one of the best mobile workstations I've tested, performing very well in my tests and well-suited to business professionals, creators, and power-users.

HP ZBook X G1i: Unboxing and First Impressions

Given how powerful this machine is, I'm still shocked by how lightweight it is. Granted, it is a 16-inch unit, so it's not something you'd want to toss into a daypack or a shoulder sling, but it's still pretty portable for a workstation. As I always do, I left the charger in the box and will use my UGREEN or Anker power bricks, or one of the several docking stations I have set up across my different workspaces.

The next thing I do is log in to my Windows account and allow my sync to run, along with logging in to my proper accounts. I like using Windows Hello with both fingerprint and face recognition for easier, more secure sign-in. Once I got that taken care of, I made the proper updates and minimized my desktop to fewer apps, creating a clean workspace.

The HP ZBook X G1i is a very sleek and professional-looking laptop. It fits right into the business-tier design language, without being boring. It's got an elegant silver finish, it's easy to toss in a backpack, and it's got enough ports to power you through your day. This laptop is portable yet packs a full-size HDMI port, an RJ45 Ethernet port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-C port, a headphone jack, a USB-A port, and an optional Nano SIM Card and/or a Smart Card Reader.

All of that in a portable workstation is wild. To add to the insanity, there is a full-size numpad as well. While this isn't unbelievable to see on 16-inch laptops, it's definitely not so standard that it's not worth mentioning. For those who spend all day entering numbers, a number pad can absolutely cut down on that time and make it faster and easier.

Speaking of the keyboard, the standard QWERTY side is comfortable to type on; it has good key travel and resistance without feeling like I am working too hard. It's a keyboard you can type on all day without discomfort or the urge to swap it out, unless you are a keyboard fanatic or mechanical keyboard lover.

HP ZBook X G1i: Design & Build Quality

The overall design of the ZBook X G1i is clean. It's business professional. It fits the look you're going for as a business pro with a laptop that can hold its own. You're not looking for something that flashes RGB, but you also need a machine powerful enough to handle your hefty workload. I get it.

The HP ZBook X G1i gets it too. With powerful components under the hood, this laptop still looks unassuming enough that you can take it into a conference room or a coffee shop without looking like a gamer while getting serious work done.

Another big thing that I look at for workstation laptops is port selection. A computer can be wildly powerful, but if you always need to plug into a dongle, that's worth noting, especially for a computer that claims to be a workstation. A workstation is not just another term for a laptop, but a tier, or class of laptop in its own right.

The workstation passes that test with flying colors. Offering not only a good number of ports but also a good spread and distribution, helping enhance working with them rather than just slapping ports wherever they fit.

HP ZBook X G1i: In use

For day-to-day work on this machine, I have found zero problems or qualms. It's excellent at basic productivity tasks, administrative tasks, and pulling up information in DBeaver or other database tools. It's fantastic with VSCode or other coding applications.

I haven't had any issues with 3D printing software or with elementary video and photo editing. It may not be the very best video editing laptop for creative professionals, but I would rank it as one of the best laptops for photo editing and general content creation.

I used this computer as my primary machine for a full day of work, and then used it on and off for a few weeks as my secondary. In that time, I barely felt the ZBook X G1i even take a deep breath. It's an excellent machine for AI work, front-end and back-end development, and even full-stack development and coding.

It's great for project managers who need to QA software features and pull everything up for testing before pushing to production, and it's also great for 3D modeling, CAD, and related work. All while being in a portable 16-inch laptop shell with one of the most beautifully sleek logos on the market.

The HP ZBook X G1i is an excellent choice for this kind of work. Plus, to add a little extra to a great package, HP offers a 5G antenna along with Wi-Fi 7. Meaning that you can get the best connection available while it's around and you're in buildings that have Wi-Fi.

When you are out and about or don't want to trust the sketchy Wi-Fi at an airport, you can hop on a Cellular 5G connection rather than having to pop out a travel router or jump on a VPN to keep your information secure. Or perhaps you're someone who isn't worried about sketchy Wi-Fi, but rather about the lack of a connection while working remotely. That's where the 5G option comes into its own, letting you hop on whenever you need to, even if that's poolside, between laps, or at a resort.

HP ZBook X G1i: Final verdict

The HP ZBook X G1i continues a great legacy of ZBook machines from HP. It's a powerful mix between a portable powerhouse and a lean mean computing machine, all while retaining that professional style.

It's ideal for, quite honestly, people like me. Project managers, side hustlers, system architects, hybrid professionals, the kind of people who have their hands in everything and anything at all times.

It's not the machine I'd choose to run my powerful app servers on, but if you need a machine that has workstation power in a form factor you're not dreading to take with you, then the HP ZBook X G1i is an option worth considering.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

For more productivity machines, we've tested the best business laptops.